BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A small army of cooks has added a little spice to Cincinnati.
Thousands of people descended downtown Saturday for the annual Gold Star ChiliFest. There were rides, hot pepper eating contests and music. And there was a lot of chili.
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IF YOU GO
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The Gold Star ChiliFest is on West Court Street in downtown Cincinnati. The festival runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The cook-off will be 1-4 p.m., with judging 4-6 p.m. The winner will be announced at 6:30 p.m.
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"I like my chili chunky," said Debbie Johnson, 44, of Western Hills.
She was sitting on a curb taking in the foods of the street fair Saturday night and enjoying herself. It was her first ChiliFest. The 16-year-old festival raises money for the Cincinnati Fire Museum. Organizers expected nice weather Saturday and today to bring out big crowds.
The highlight of the weekend is the chili. You can have it served over a pizza, spicy or mild. There is even chili bread.
"They is plenty for everyone," said Bill "Gumby" Donovan, who heads the chili cook-off and is a lieutenant with the Cincinnati Fire Division.
More than 35 teams have registered to compete in today's Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Chili Cook-off, Lt. Donovan said.
While there are varieties of chili, from Greek to Cajun, most judges tend to favor Texas-style, which is chunky and has no beans, said Mr. Donovan, who won the Ohio Chili Cook-off in 1988.
Along with the food are plenty of rides and fire safety demonstrations. And should the chili turn too hot, there is plenty of beer and soda to drink, as well as some Pepto-Bismol, he said.
